Third Round Saturday is arguably the most exciting weekend of the football calendar, but the Second Round of this year's FA Cup was an all-timer. 63 goals were scored in 20 ties, seven of which went to extra time and three all the way to penalties. With two non-league sides in the hat for the Third Round and three ties with seven or more goals this weekend, there's plenty to unpack from a wonderful weekend of FA Cup football.
The early stages of the FA Cup are very much about the non-league sides, especially for those from below the National League North and South. Two such sides made it all the way to this year's Second Round as seventh tier Gainsborough Trinity and Harborough Town both turned out away to EFL opposition.
Seventh-tier Dreams Shattered
Gainsborough got the Second Round underway on Friday night, visiting mid-table League Two side Harrogate Town.
Harrogate had won their last two league matches and caused an upset of their own in the First Round by knocking out a Wrexham side who were (and still are) second in League One.
Gainsborough put in a spirited performance at The Exercise Stadium, keeping the tie level at 0 - 0 at half-time in stark contrast to their eight goal thriller against Hednesford in the First Round.
Despite a brilliant effort from the side three divisions below though, Harrogate did win the tie 1 - 0 to become the 45th team in the hat for the Third Round, joining the 20 Premier League and 24 Championship clubs.
Harborough Town's tie away to EFL opposition was somewhat more eventful than Gainsborough's as Town led 2 - 1 after just 21 minutes away to League One Reading.
The Royals did turn it around after the break to lead 3 - 2 with 25 minutes to go, but matters became far more complicated for the home side after Abraham Kanu was sent off for receiving a second yellow card.
Harborough made good of their man advantage, as Kai Sanchez Tonge netted an 86th-minute equaliser to spark wild celebrations for the away side.
Reading did pull through in extra time with two early goals to win the tie 5 - 3, but that doesn't change the enormity of Harborough's achievement.
The scenes at full-time resembled those of a side that had made it through to the Third Round, but even making it to the Second Round represents their best-ever FA Cup campaign.
Non-League Success
While the two seventh-tier sides ultimately came up just short this weekend, two fifth-tier, National League teams did pull off dream FA Cup away days.
Both Dagenham & Redbridge and Tamworth won away from home against EFL opposition, with Dagenham winning 2 - 1 away to League Two play-off sitters Wimbledon and Tamworth beating League One's bottom side Burton Albion on penalties.
Burton are struggling for form at the bottom of the third tier, but Tamworth's recent form hasn't been brilliant either; they came into the tie with just one win in their last five league games.
Form didn't bother them in the First Round though, as the Lambs stunned Huddersfield Town with a 1 - 0 victory at The Lamb Ground; the National League side have now beaten League One opposition in each of their last two FA Cup ties.
After a goalless 90 minutes, Burton struck just two minutes into extra time, only for Tamworth to respond brilliantly with a goal a further two minutes later.
In the shootout, Danilo Orsi missed the very first penalty for Burton, and despite both sides missing their third kicks, Tamworth held their nerve and Haydn Hollis kept his composure to score the winning penalty.
Dagenham & Redbridge didn't need penalties, nor in fact extra time to book their place among the Premier League teams.
Junior Morias put the non-league side in front after 35 minutes, but the Daggers were pegged back when Matty Stevens equalised in the eighth minute of first-half stoppage time.
That didn't deter the National League side though, as Josh Rees struck with just eleven minutes to go to send Dagenham & Redbridge through to the Third Round for the first time since 2016; they were rewarded with a tie away to Premier League Everton that year.
Close Calls
Burton and Wimbledon weren't able to avoid the upsets but multiple EFL sides faced scares before eventually progressing at the expense of non-league opposition.
The tie of the round was arguably the game between Leyton Orient and Oldham Athletic, a game which Oldham led for most of the second half.
After a goalless first half, Manny Monthe gave the National League team the lead two minutes after the break, but in sensational scenes, Orient goalkeeper Josh Keeley came up for a free-kick and scored in the ninth minute of stoppage time to take the tie to extra time.
That wasn't the last stoppage time goal of the match either.
Despite Oldham's efforts, they suffered late, late heartbreak in Stratford as they were beaten by a 121st-minute winner from Dan Agyei.
The close calls continued into Sunday, with seventh-tier Kettering Town taking the lead against League Two high-flyers Doncaster Rovers.
Kettering are top of the Southern Central Premier and made a big impression against Rovers, but after Billy Sharp's equaliser sent the tie to extra time, the former Sheffield United striker came up with the winner just before the break in the additional 30 minutes.
Bromley were another League Two side to struggle away to non-league opposition, although Solihull Moors are two tiers above Kettering.
As was the case between Kettering and Doncaster, it was the lower-tier side who took the lead, but three minutes after Conor Wilkinson had struck for the hosts, Omar Sowunmi levelled the tie for the League Two side.
The tie remained close and entertaining in the second half, but Danny Imray's goal just after the hour mark was enough for Bromley to reach the Third Round for the first time in their history.
While they aren't a non-league side themselves, Bromley very much have the profile of one as they anticipate the Third Round draw; the Ravens are just outside the relegation zone in the fourth tier as they compete in the Football League for the first time.
One of the perks of being in the EFL is starting in the First Round of the FA Cup, and after beating Rochdale in a seven-goal thriller at that stage, Bromley made it two for two against non-league opposition in this season's FA Cup.
Thrillers Elsewhere
This stage of the FA Cup is very much about the lower ranked sides, especially those outside the Football League, but that doesn't mean a good old-fashioned cup tie between two higher-ranked sides can't be appreciated.
Two of the 3pm Saturday kick-offs ended 4 - 3, with Peterborough United and Lincoln City defeating Notts County and Crawley Town respectively in two of the most exhilarating FA Cup ties of the season so far.
The drama at London Road was very much condensed into the first and last 20 minutes of the game.
Peterborough took the lead through Ricky-Jade Jones after just ten minutes, only to find themselves 2 - 1 down to League Two Notts County six minutes later.
County maintained their slender advantage right up until the 73rd minute, when Jones netted his and Peterborough's second to level the tie.
Just four minutes later, Joel Randall scored to give Posh the lead and ten minutes later Abraham Odoh scored for the second FA Cup tie running to seal the League One side's place in the Third Round.
County did strike back in the 96th minute, but it was too little too late.
There was an even more dramatic swing at Broadfield Stadium, where Crawley lost 4 - 3 to Lincoln City despite leading 2 - 0 after 13 minutes.
Lincoln hit back quickly to reduce the deficit to 2 - 1 and Jovon Makama equalised six minutes before half-time.
The cup tie was there for the taking after the break and that's exactly what the Imps did, with Erik Ring and Jack Moylan scoring less than a minute apart within the first three minutes of the second half.
Crawley didn't lie down and take it, recovering to 4 - 3 through Liam Kelly's late strike, but in the end Lincoln's surges either side of half time were enough to send them through.
Extra Time and Penalties Everywhere!
As well as Reading, Doncaster, Tamworth and Leyton Orient, three other sides also needed extra time to progress to the Third Round.
Jonny Smith scored a 119th-minute winner to send 2013 winners Wigan Athletic through at the expense of League One rivals Cambridge United.
Elsewhere, penalties were needed in two ties between sides in the same division. League Two pair Accrington Stanley and Swindon Town played out an entertaining 2 - 2 draw.
Accrington trailed 10-man Swindon 2 - 1 at the Crown Ground before Tyler Walton equalised in stoppage time at the end of normal time; Stanley went on to win 4 - 1 on penalties after a goalless 30 minutes of extra time.
Barnsley and Bristol Rovers couldn't produce a goal between them in the 120 minutes of their all-League One affair, but there were at least seven goals in the shootout. Bristol Rovers won 4 - 3 on penalties away from home to make it through.
Comfortable Winners
Most of the other ties had far more comfortable winners. Wycombe Wanderers put on a professional display to beat National League Wealdstone 2 - 0, as did fellow-League One side Exeter City in their 2 - 0 win over last season's National League Champions Chesterfield.
Even though Morecambe only beat Bradford City 1 - 0, the victory was made somewhat less stressful by Neill Byrne's second-half red card; Mansfield Town won at Stevenage by the same scoreline in a low-key tie.
Salford City scored twice in the first 22 minutes against Cheltenham Town and went on to see out a 2 - 0 win while Stockport County shook off some nervy second half moments to beat sixth-tier Brackley Town 3 - 1.
The most convincing winners of the round though were Charlton Athletic, who thrashed a sorry-looking Walsall side 4 - 0 away from home; it was the only tie of the round with a difference of more than two goals.
Third Round Draw
Naturally, thoughts now turn to the draw for the Third Round and with replays being scrapped after the qualifying rounds this year, all 64 teams teams in the hat for the draw are certain of competing in the next round.
The ties will be drawn on Monday evening at 7pm, live on a special programme on BBC Two.
This draw is perhaps the most exciting off-the-pitch moment of the English football season. When the first team is drawn from the pot, they could quite literally face Dagenham & Redbridge or Manchester City; Bromley or Arsenal; Tamworth or Liverpool.
Regardless of what the draw produces though, the magic of the FA Cup has been well and truly alive this weekend and there are plenty more upsets still to come in this year's competition.
Comments